The decision on the mechanism for capping electricity and natural gas prices will be taken in the Government and we expect to have a final decision by the end of next week, Minister of Energy Sebastian Burduja said.
„As I stated from the beginning, the decision regarding the mechanism for capping electricity and natural gas prices will be taken in the Government after the adoption of the budget, based on the scenarios discussed and analyzed since the middle of last year. So, we expect to have a final decision by the end of next week. One thing is certain, our goal is to ensure that every family has access to energy at an acceptable price, to the extent necessary for the stability of family budgets and without becoming a burden for households and the Romanian economic milieu”, Burduja wrote on Tuesday on Facebook.
The minister of Energy recalled that there are several scenarios, including the extension of the current mechanism for a transitional period (the base scenario) or the targeting of support measures mainly to vulnerable consumers, in the form of energy cards, which is also detailed in the government program. Burduja specified, however, that no decision has been made concerning energy cards.
Burduja also emphasized that the restoration of the normal functioning of the free market is being considered, in a rational and gradual manner, so as to avoid sudden dynamics of energy bills. He explained that the energy market is still unstable and the price of gas has recently increased on the main stock exchanges, as a result of geopolitical tensions in the region, the decisions of the Russian Federation and the degree of storage at the level of the entire European Union.
„Poland, for example, has extended the mechanism for capping energy prices until September 30, 2025. We too must continuously respond to the changes taking place on the market and make the right decisions regarding the forms of additional support for energy consumers. I emphasize once again that the current mechanism has made Romanians pay among the lowest prices in the European Union. We pay the 4th lowest price for electricity and the 5th lowest for natural gas, according to Eurostat data. The right – the only – solution for lower prices on bills is to increase the electricity and gas production capacity in Romania. That is why we launched the most ambitious investment plan since 1989, with over 14 billion euros of European funds attracted for the national energy system. Each new MW means a greater chance for lower bills for Romanians and Romanian companies. The positive effects of these projects will be felt in the years to come”, Sebastian Burduja also argued.
The 2025 state budget law was published in the Official Gazette on Monday. The budget of the Ministry of Energy benefits from an increase of approximately 150% compared to last year, with most of the money being allocated to finance investments from the Modernization Fund and the National Renewable Energy Resources Plan.
AGERPRES
